Answer #11 - Yes. Only Bigger.

O comfort whispering in the terror, unspeakable explanation of the smoke and cruelty, undo the self-conspiracy, let me dare the boldness of joy - Leonard Cohen from 'The Book of Mercy'

At dinner, last night, the discussion was biblical - more specificially Southern Baptist 'church camp', of which one of the party had been a childhood attendee, and descriptions of the inauguration of the faithful.  The conversation naturally gravitated toward Bill Maher's 'Religulous' and Julia Sweeney's 'Letting Go of God.'

I'm was raised in the Missouri Synod Lutheran church.  I walked away from it early, at 12, maybe - unconvinced.  Too many contradictions, too little discourse, one scary teacher who screamed across the room at me that I was a Bad Christian because the day's King James reading of one of the Books of the Apostles made me drowsy.

Where do you go with that kind of information?  Marlboro Lights and a stolen beer, if you're me, and then a few years of running with the Devil, so to speak.

And yet, there is the still, small voice - there is the miraculous minute or event (we've all had one) - there is something out there, somehow... there is a deep call to a thing, anyway.  Maybe drawn from the long distant awakening to a bright fireball in the sky, maybe the whisperings of intuition or the right brain.  No matter, among the faithful can be counted innumerable brilliant people... so much art stemming from the search for God or surety of the existence.

For this reason, I've started a collection of religiously-inspired works of art.  They're all in my kitchen.  This sounds irreverent, but it's not.  I have a large kitchen in an old house, and I spend a good chunk of my time there when I'm not on the road.  I'm looking for the path that leads to the place.  And while it's true that Pope Leo the XI now occupies some wall space, and I have less than little regard for the gold-glutted institution of which he was the boss of everybody - he's still a reminder that somewhere,  somehow, someone heard a voice, saw a light, felt a flood of recognition, and gave up all of their possessions to follow an idea...

But, well...all these paintings... and.. well..
Does God Really Look Just Like Us, er, Man?

It's unclear why he'd look like the male version of this particular species - seems impractical, as a being comprised entirely of light and love.  Why the fur and teeth?  Is there a digestive system?  I dunno.  If the boys are right, yes, yes he does.  Only bigger.

But, these same boys have said some funny things.  No offense, boys, but it's been a long road for us girls - still a long road in many places - and damn it, I've seen pictures from space shuttles.  The Earth is definitely round.  And definitely not at the center of the universe.

Obviously, I have much work to do.  For now, chanterelle souffle under the benevolent gaze of the Pope.